The program provides tax-advantaged investment accounts for children under 18, with a one-time $1,000 government contribution available to eligible U.S. citizens born between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028. Although enrollment began automatically for millions of children, claiming an account and requesting the contribution remain separate steps.
Parents Must Claim Automatically Created Accounts Through the Official App
According to Fox Business, the Treasury Department reported in early October that nearly 70 million Trump Accounts had been established since the program officially launched on July 4. More than 60 million were created through an automatic enrollment process, leaving parents and guardians responsible for activating access to their children’s accounts.
The Internal Revenue Service states that automatic enrollment began on October 1, 2026. Children qualify for an account if they have a valid Social Security number and will not turn 18 before the end of the calendar year in which the account is established.
Parents can claim an existing account through the official Trump Accounts app, available through Apple’s App Store and Google Play. The process requires users to verify their identity, establish their authority to manage the child’s account, review identifying information and complete the activation steps.
According to the IRS, parents do not need to submit Form 4547 simply to claim an account that Treasury opened automatically. They must, however, complete the claiming process before managing the account. The federal contribution follows different requirements. Children must be U.S. citizens, have valid Social Security numbers and have been born between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028.
Parents must specifically elect the $1,000 payment by submitting Form 4547 and selecting the pilot program contribution. The form can be submitted through the app, the Trump Accounts website or an IRS Individual Account.
Annual Contributions and Investment Options Determine How Accounts Operate
Once an account has been claimed, parents can authorize contributions from family members, friends and eligible employers. The program permits up to $5,000 in annual contributions per child under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The Trump Accounts app allows custodians to share a contribution code with relatives and other contributors. Payments can also be made using a debit card or through ACH transfers, which may take several days to appear in an account.
According to Fox Business, money held in Trump Accounts is invested in diversified index funds covering broad sections of the U.S. stock market. Investment expenses are capped by law at 0.1%, equivalent to 10 basis points. The Treasury Department selected the State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF (SPYM) as the default investment option at launch. The fund tracks the S&P 500 Index.
Four additional exchange-traded funds are expected to become available: the iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV), Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI), State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 1500 Composite Stock Market ETF (SPTM), and iShares S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF (ITOT).
Parents can obtain information through the official Trump Accounts website or the program’s support line at 866-USA-4547. The IRS also provides guidance on correcting elections and resolving account-related questions.
